The present invention relates to a pew. More specifically, the invention is directed to a pew having discrete or individual seating portions.
A pew is one of the benches fixed in rows in a church. A pew provides seats for several persons. In the past, pews have consisted of long, continuous and undivided benches. Prior art pews have been both unpadded and padded. If the pews were padded, the padding corresponded to the long, continuous and undivided nature of the benches. The padding was fixedly attached to the benches. These prior art pews have created many problems. For example, the seating capacity of a prior art pew cannot be maximized because the long, continuous and undivided nature of the pew encourages persons occupying the pew to spread out along the pew instead of occupying only one seat. Further, individual seats cannot be numbered for concerts or special events to be held at the church in which the pew is placed. Prior art pews do not allow ushers or other attendants to easily identify an available seat or seats along the pew. Further, the selection of fabrics for prior art pew cushions is limited to, for example, solid fabrics because fabrics having, for example, stripes are difficult to match over the long, continuous and undivided length of the pew. It has also been found that it is difficult and expensive to repair or replace the fabric of prior art pew cushions.
In an attempt to overcome the above-identified problems associated with prior art pews, various alternatives have been developed. For example, a prior art pew body has been combined with a plurality of self-rising seats that include raised arm rests. These types of seats are known as "theater" seats. The problems associated with pews having theater seats are as follows: maintenance is difficult underneath the seats because the individual arm rests extend to the floor; arm rests make for cramped and confined seating for persons occupying the seats; theater seats are noisy, especially when persons rise from the seats; it is difficult for children to sit in theater seats; the mechanical devices used to make the seats self rising are difficult and costly to maintain; and theater seats are not aesthetically pleasing in traditional churches.
Another alternative to prior art pews has been the use of raised dividers that have been positioned along the back of a pew above the surface of the pew seat. These types of pews restrict the seating capacity of the pew to exactly the number of seats defined by the dividers because persons cannot sit on the dividers. Further, parishioners do not appreciate the "physical" division created by the individual dividers. Finally, these types of pews still retain the long and continuous nature of the seat thereby resulting in the fabric selection, repair and replacement problems described above.
Individual chairs have been used as an alternative to prior art pews. The chairs are usually separate. However, in some applications the chairs have been attached. While chairs are appropriate in some situations, it has been found that maintenance is difficult underneath the chairs because of the chair legs. Further, chairs are not aesthetically pleasing in churches where traditional pews are desired.
In view of the foregoing, it has been found that there is a clear need for a pew having discrete seating portions wherein each of the seating portions has a predetermined width that defines an individual seat. The present invention satisfies this need.